The Flamingo Hotel Review – Las Vegas

The Flamingo can be described as one of the Strip’s “senior citizens” and has a very interesting history behind it. The hotel has changed greatly since Ben “Bugsy” Siegel first started this 105-room hotel in the Vegas oasis in 1946. Even when it first began it has earned itself a reputation for luxury and Bugsy had the janitors dressed in tuxedos. This tropical paradise of swaying palms and waterfalls attracted the rich and famous.

Owned and operated by Harrah’s Entertainment, the Flamingo Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The site, which occupies
40 acres, was originally owned by one of the first settlers of Las Vegas, Charles “Pops” Squires. He paid $8.75 an acre for the land. In 1944, Margaret Folsom bought the tract of land for $7,500. She later sold it to William R. “Billy” Wilkerson, who owned Café Trocadero, Ciro’s and LaRue’s, located on the Sunset Strip. He liked exotic birds, and had seen the pink flamingos when he traveled to Florida.

Wilkerson purchased 33 acres of land, located south of the Las Vegas Frontier, so that he could build a hotel. His hotel would include a casino, nightclub, restaurant, indoor shops, and a health club with steam rooms and a gym. He didn’t have enough funds to complete his vision. On February 26, 1949 Wilkerson formed a partnership with a man who introduced himself as Harry Rothberg. In reality, this led to “Bugsy” Siegel, his partner, opening the Flamingo for a total cost of $6 million on December 26, 1946.

Entertainment at the opening of the Flamingo included Xavier Cugar, George Jessel and Jimmy Durante. Unfortunately, the opening was a disaster. The crowds of celebrities “Bugsy” Siegel hoped for didn’t materialize. The desert’s first air-conditioning system kept breaking down, and the luxury rooms being built to attract people to stay at the hotel weren’t ready. Also, the chefs, waiters, bartenders, etc. weren’t experienced. Within two weeks of its opening, the Flamingo was almost $300,000 in debt. The entire operation was shut down in late January, 1947.

Through the years, the Flamingo Hotel has been renovated and enlarged. One pf the more recent features of the Flamingo hotel was the addition of a Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville nightclub. There are now over 3,500 rooms, which have been upgraded. Prices vary from $75 for the smaller rooms to $350 and up for suites. Timeshare suites are also available. Children under the age of twelve stay for free in their parents’ room. Some rooms are designed based on the old retro Rat Pack theme (a reminder of the days of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin), and have hot pink accent walls. You can find hot pink lights, TV screens set into the mirrors and iPod stations in the bathrooms.

The Flamingo offers eight restaurants, several bars, and a rather large casino. Shows by the Second City are featured as a nightly event. If you are traveling with your family, the Flamingo Paradise Garden Buffet offers good food.

Enjoy leisure time at any one of five beautiful outdoor pools, three night-lit tennis courts, or the health club and spa. There are also whirlpools, water slides, many fountains, and actual live groups of the exotic flamingos on islands around the hotel. In addition to these birds visitors will also be greeted by the sight of swans, ducks and koi fish that swim in the ponds. The health club provides a variety of machines, including treadmills and stair machines, for just $20 a day.

Take advantage of spa services, which include massages, facials, and full body wraps. This modernized hotel also offers 24-hour room service, and laundry and dry cleaning services. You can even find wedding chapels within the hotel. Where else can you find so many varied activities, and a rich history!